Phosphorus Cybersecurity Inc., a leader in proactive security for the extended Internet of Things (xIoT), announced on August 25, 2025, the appointment of Sonu Shankar as President and Chief Operating Officer. Previously the Chief Product Officer, Shankar’s promotion follows a record-breaking growth quarter, reflecting surging demand for xIoT security and automation solutions.
Announced: August 25, 2025, Sonu Shankar named President & COO.
Role: Lead global scaling and autonomous xIoT security operations.
Experience: Over 15 years in cybersecurity, previously at Arctic Wolf, Cisco, and Los Alamos National Laboratory.
Achievements: Spearheaded Phosphorus’s intelligent automation, scanning 5B+ IP addresses.
Market Impact: 157% YoY growth in password rotations, 65% in firmware updates.
Source: prnewswire.com.
Shankar, an industry veteran with a rare blend of business and technical expertise, has driven Phosphorus’s platform to deliver industry-first automated xIoT security capabilities. “Sonu can run the boardroom in the morning and talk APIs in the afternoon,” said Chris Rouland, Phosphorus Founder and CEO. “His leadership positions Phosphorus as the only provider with patented technology for end-to-end xIoT discovery, remediation, and management.”
“Phosphorus is solving one of the most complex cybersecurity challenges,” said Art Coviello, Chairman of the Board. “Sonu’s vision makes him the executive to shape this industry’s future.”
Phosphorus addresses the global challenge of unmanaged IoT, OT, and IoMT devices, which outnumber human asset managers significantly. With 60 billion connected devices and growing, Shankar’s leadership advances Phosphorus’s agentic AI, enabling autonomous discovery, risk assessment, and remediation. “The shift from humans in the loop to humans on the loop is inevitable,” Shankar stated.
The platform’s milestones include scanning over 5 billion IP addresses, achieving 157% year-over-year growth in password rotations, and 65% in firmware updates, supporting Fortune 10 and Global 2000 clients.
The appointment aligns with the $35.5B generative AI cybersecurity market projected by 2031, driven by IoT vulnerabilities like default passwords and insecure firmware. Regulatory pressures, such as bans on certain Chinese devices, underscore the need for solutions like Phosphorus’s, which automates compliance. Posts on X highlight its role in securing critical infrastructure, echoing trends in partnerships like Hyland-AWS and Testaify’s AI testing expansion.
Phosphorus is the leading xIoT security and management platform that proactively manages the expanding IoT, OT, and IoMT attack surface. Designed to find and secure the rapidly growing, unknown, and unmanaged world of devices across the extended Internet of Things landscape, the Phosphorus platform provides unmatched security management for devices across every industry vertical — delivering high-fidelity discovery and risk assessment, proactive hardening and remediation, and continuous monitoring and management. With patented xIoT Intelligent Active Discovery and risk assessment, Phosphorus automates the remediation of the most significant xIoT device and operational risks – including inaccurate asset inventory, default credentials, out-of-date and vulnerable firmware, risky configurations, banned and end-of-life devices, and expired or insecure certificates.
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